Organic Form Fold Formed Earrings

Description

Lately I’ve been playing around with a new-to-me metalworking technique called “Fold Forming.” This is an absolutely amazing technique in which a piece of metal is… well… folded and then formed by hammering. After the folded metal is annealed (heated, then cooled to soften it), it is unfolded, and, as if by magic, you end up with a lovely organic metal shape.

There is no limit to the variety of shapes that can be made with a bit of creative thinking, which is great, but one of the loveliest aspects of this technique is the startlingly vivid colors I discover when I open the form. These occur when I work in copper - the inside of the form is partially closed to oxygen, so when the copper is annealed, the edges just inside the fold turn black, beyond that, the copper turns bright red, and varying shades of orange often appear after that. The colors you see in the picture are a result of the process of making these earrings, not something which I added on afterward. You are looking at a very pure artistic technique. It is very direct, very raw, yet it yields results of almost shocking elegance.

This particular pair of earrings is made of comfortable and lightweight 22 gauge copper, fold formed, and hung from surgical steel and gold plated French ear wires. The shape is that of an exotic tropical orchid petal, or maybe some form of precambrian sea life. The colors begin as deep black at the edges, rapidly shift to red, then transition gradually to orange, finally ending with a pure, bright copper color.

These earrings come in a nifty little black velveteen drawstring pouch for safe storage and to keep them from getting tangled in with your other finery.

Oh! One thing I forgot to tell you… there is something inherently pleasing in the feel of fold formed metal. You may find yourself irresistibly drawn to pet them with your finger every time you put them on or take them off.

Added on Sep 11, 2009